Fanchon
by MrQuotes
Summary: Resumed an old story. An everyday somewhat secluded high school student takes interest in The World. He hopes playing the game will give him inspiration for his own ideas. What he finds are some very interesting characters, possibly even more...
1. Pretext The Author's Insight

Ever since I wrote my first story, I've gotten the most joy through the act of narration and telling stories. The other reason I write is to help me understand myself by looking at every aspect of my character individually, and there is no better way to do it then to bring it to life and put it in an environment. With every year i enter, I learn more and more of myself and the world around me, and begin to understand how I act.  
  
Every character I create is a part of myself, and every scene I write is an experience I lived or a person I know or have encountered. Someone wise once said, "Write what you know," so that's what I try to do.   
  
The series .hack//SIGN drew me in automatically when I learned it was a character driven anime. So many personalities clashed with each other, making it one of my two favorite animes ever created. With a setting such as The World, the endless possiblities of stories can be created and told, and that is what I am hoping to do with this story.   
  
I finally decided to do a story when I put up a .hack character bio on a message board. When I re-read the character I, I realized that I characterized myself, the one person I understand the least. With the help of college writing classes, I've learned better mechanics with my already acquired abilities of narration, whether they be good of bad.   
  
So that's the summation I guess. Whether or not I am going to include the incidents with Morganna, Twighlight, or Liminality is yet to be seen. Seeing how I haven't decided a part of the .hack timeline this will take place in grants me the ambivalence to do whatever I please. I just thank the people who take the time to read it, and I hope you enjoy it. 


	2. Chapter 1 Another World Awaiting

Chapter 1: Another World Awaiting  
  
The room was silent except for the scratching sound of lead on   
  
paper, the anxious youths both sweating at the sight of their   
  
tests, while at the same time anticipating that long merciless hand   
  
to reach the twelve one more time, leading to their liberation. It   
  
was amazing how much the now grown adolescents took those 48 hours   
  
of free time for granted when they were in elementary or even   
  
middle school. With the newfound responsibility of high school,   
  
where every test had the potential of setting your destiny in   
  
stone, just those two days of freedom were a gift from God. Two   
  
fifths away from that eleven, in 8 minutes the test would end and   
  
the weekend would begin.  
  
It wasn't like Rio minded taking tests, in fact it was the only   
  
time he was paying full attention, any other day he would be   
  
daydreaming and bored. The time flew by as far as he could feel,   
  
the test had the clock in its clutches, manipulating time to move   
  
faster for those poor unfortunate ones that didn't know the   
  
answers, but kept their pencils jammed to that lined paper, in hope   
  
it would flash into their minds as if it were just a matter of   
  
time. Rio wasn't like that at all. He knew that the answers   
  
wouldn't come because he didn't study. He allowed himself not to   
  
worry about this test days before, acting as if The Great   
  
Depression would just teach itself to him. He just continued to   
  
write what he did remember, and waited for that bell to signal his   
  
freedom. History wasn't his forte. He didn't even remember what he   
  
had for breakfast earlier today. He was certain it was Special K,   
  
but he'd be damned before he would completely dismiss those Honey   
  
Nut Cheerios.... as he flowed away on his stream of consciousness,   
  
the bell had rung a few moments earlier, and the teacher was   
  
starting to call for his test, thinking he was giving himself extra   
  
time.   
  
As he pushed through the mass of students trying to escape the   
  
academic penitentiary, he finally made his way to his locker, giving   
  
it a kick, it opened without any combination. As he prepared to   
  
empty the unnecessary weight from his backpack, a familiar voice   
  
was talking in the background, slowly but surely it made its way   
  
toward his vicinity.   
  
"So what are you doing today?"  
  
He continued his unpacking, not reacting to the voice behind him.   
  
He would be penalized with more noise pollution.  
  
"I said what are you doing today? Hello?"  
  
"Dammit Gary I heard you the first time," Rio finally answered.   
  
"Can't you let a man organize in peace?"  
  
"I could, but what fun would that be?" Gary understood Rio as well   
  
as anyone, and sarcasm was a language enjoyed by both of them.   
  
"So.. what are you doing today?"  
  
"I'm gonna try out that game that's real popular on ALTIMIT. I   
  
finally got the equipment needed to play it yesterday, so I'm just   
  
gonna waste some time with that."  
  
"Are you serious? You bought that game?" Gary disbelief was due to   
  
the fact that Rio was never one for video games at all. "What made   
  
you decide to get The World.?"  
  
"I decided to buy it and try it out, that's all." Rio wasn't being   
  
entirely truthful however, while he did decide to go out and buy   
  
The World on a whim, he did do it for a reason. One he really   
  
didn't feel like wasting much time on explaining. "Well, I'm gonna   
  
go home and try it out right now, so I'll probably see you soon."  
  
Waving goodbye to Gary, someone was running up from behind him,   
  
someone most likely eavesdropping on their conversation. It was a   
  
girl he vaguely recognized as someone in the same year as him.  
  
"Hey! I heard you're just about to play The World. I have a few   
  
friends that play with me, and we're pretty experienced, how's   
  
about we show you the ropes? A newbie like you could probably learn   
  
a thing or two." The tone was a bit condescending to Rio, and while   
  
he somewhat appreciated the offer, he had no desire to accept.  
  
"No thanks," was all he said, and he continued walking past, the   
  
girl seemed slightly miffed to his answer, and she continued to   
  
follow him down the hallway. She then caught up to him again this   
  
time to offer him a bit of a tirade.  
  
"Now listen here! You don't have to be so rude to me! You should be   
  
grateful that I was kind and virtuous to offer you my help!" The   
  
angry response took Rio aback, he hadn't realized she was so mad,   
  
nor did he understand why she was acting as such. And he still   
  
didn't appreciate the condescending attitude.  
  
"What do you mean rude? I just said no, I said 'no thanks' even,   
  
how is that rude?" He began to go on his way again, he knew that he   
  
was talking himself into trouble, but he was too late as the words   
  
left his mouth. "And for someone as virtuous as you, your pretty   
  
damn loud and self centered..."   
  
The facial expression on the girls face got worse, and the panic   
  
sirens blared inside his head. He went too far. He knew he was   
  
going to go too far before he said it. And with those thoughts,   
  
following them was a slap across the face from the girl, as she   
  
stormed away fuming. He actually thought he got off pretty lightly.   
  
Moments later he was surrounded by stares of disgust. As if he were   
  
the one that slapped her in the face. He was so confused as to why   
  
he was the one coming off as the bastard in this situation, so he   
  
just thought it best to leave as soon as possible before the   
  
retinal daggers of fellow classmates continued to stab him any   
  
further. His cheek red, and stinging, he said to himself, "I got   
  
the moral victory," giving him a bit of a smile as he finally left   
  
the school, making his way outside the school grounds.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The first chapter is never easy, and I was hoping to have my good friend Rio logged into the world by the end of the chapter, but I was having too much fun building his character. So why did he pick up a copy of The World if he doesn't like video games? It'll be better explained next chapter, that of which I'm looking forwad to writing the next time I get the chance. Please leave feedback and enjoy my work. 


	3. Chapter 2 Character Without Definition

The Cliche Aside....  
  
Me: Well, I'm glad it's finally underway. Don't you look forward to what happens next?  
  
Subconscious: Oh sure, I can't wait to read the third story you're probably not gonna finish...  
  
Me: That's it, I'm shovin a pencil down my ear again when I'm done with this chapter.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 2- Character Without Definition   
  
The sirens blared in the background, as an ambulance flew by now paused cars, allowing the passage of saviors. Rio was one to take his time walking home, he didn't like the idea of being in a rush. He took things one step at a time, calm and collective his attitude and expression was deceivingly cold looking. He never gave much thought to the reaction that other people drew from it, he felt it was him, and he had no desire to change it. Rio finally entered the front door of his house, the average sized home for the average sized family. He recognized his mother's car in the driveway, revealing to him that she was home, he was still trying to figure out a nice way to say he tanked a History test. He placed his backpack on the floor, trying to make his way towards his room inconspicuously.   
  
Surprisingly enough he had made it to his room unnoticed by his mother. The bedroom was that of a normal teenage boy, a desk, a bed, a little table, and a computer sitting in the corner of the room. The walls were a plain white, dressed with a poster or two, mostly that of which when he was younger. Rio took a look towards the computer, next to it was a headset, and an 8 button analog control. The software was packed away with the other two items. His curiosity grew as he stared at the paper bag makeshift door to another plane of existence.   
  
Before starting that however, Rio pulled from under the mattress of his bed, a small notebook, filled with image laden words, none of which connecting with each other. He jotted down the words spilling from his mind, very important in keeping them as accurate as possible, for they were very important to him. Inside this notebook, were sheltered the dreams of Rio, as well as his greatest joy. As the pen struck the paper, he felt lifted with every syllable that took form from the ink. In this most current entry, he described in vivid detail his walk home, catching every moment, every emotion. The wailing of the ambulance siren, the stinging on his cheek, and the anticipation of something new.   
  
Each word was poetry in the form of narration, the sentences he constructed seemed suitable to be placed in a best-selling novel. To Rio however, each sentence he composed were merely scenes, setting and emotionless background. He felt no personality, no substance, and most importantly no soul within any of the pages he wrote. With this realization, his intentions of The World come to light.   
  
With his entry into his notebook completed, Rio finally decided it was time to log on to The World, installing the software, as well as the hardware, which included a very confining set of visors, and headset. Along side them came the controls, that he took with his hands. Ready and determined, the buzzing computer had begun to process the newly installed game. The only online game supported by ALTIMIT was about to have a new user.   
  
******  
  
A glimmer of yellow circled columns surrounded a newfound young Blademaster, one very peculiar looking, but then again, in The World, nothing is out of the ordinary. The young man had a normal looking appearance. A long sleeve gray shirt, with green trim at the end of the sleeves. The neck area was slightly wider however, and it reached to his chin. With navy blue pants and shoes, he seemed like any other character in The World. However there were characteristics that made him unique. The most noticeable one were his eyes. Always closed, they hid all emotoin, his face was unreadable, and impossible to try and explain. The Blademaster took his sword in hand, and stared at it, seemingly perplexed. He beat it against the cement floor a few times, seemingly just for kicks. After he exercised that option, the planted the sword onto the ground, to use it like a walking stick... only to have the blade slip on the ground beneath him, causing him to fall flat on his back. Not a very graceful introduction into this world, but he didn't dwell on it. He holstered his sword once again, and took a good look at the city around him.  
  
The city was very quiet and serene. The stones gave the sound of a comforting thud with every step he took. It looked very classical, coming from a middle age fairy tale. The one thing that remained constant was the ever flowing sound of water. It ran along the center of the town, seeming to never end. The pace was constant, and serene.   
  
The young Blademaster made his way to what was a bridge, and just stared down the shallow river that made its way across the city. Something he did notice that seemed kind of a odd was a small boat, seemingly unable to fit more than three, maybe four people, was planted on boards. The boat seemed to have no signs of life in it whatsoever, and the stationary figure reminded him of a memorial, or just plain memory.   
  
Pulling himself off of the rails of the bridge, the young Blademaster made his way back to the Chaos Gate from whence he had come earlier, with the objective of trying to understand how to play this game. He knew that he had to enter a Key Word to go to a field, so he just picked three random words, and so it was decided. "Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground" would be the first place he would explore. With the key words announced, the golden circle columns once again surrounded the Blademaster, as he prepared to experience The World for the first time.  
  
When the Blademaster first arrived to the field, it wasn't what he expected it to be. He was under the assumption that he would be in an area crawling with digitally designed monsters for him to kill. Instead he found himself on a bridge with only one destination. It let to a cathedral, and that's all it led to. There were no other options to take in this very limited world. With no other Player Characters in sight, he saw no other option than to make his way to the cathedral. The doors opened, and the building he entered was very confining. While he didn't play video games, he had a feeling that something like this wasn't very normal.   
  
Staring down the center of the cathedral however, he finally saw what looked like another character, not moving, just staring at the statue that lay in the center of the room. The statue was that of a girl with long flowing hair wrapped in chains. There was an inscription on the bottom, but he didn't take the time to read it, because in the instant he stared down the statue, the second character turned to him, weapon drawn.   
  
"Who are you to sneak up on someone's back? You wanna fight or somethin?" The character held a dagger in each hand. He believed they were called Twin Blades. With the daggers staring him down, he felt it necessary to stick up his hands.   
  
"Hey now, I'm not looking for any trouble. You wouldn't pick on a lowly newbie now would you?" He had remembered the word from a previous conversation. His response seemed appealing to the Twin Blade, as he lowered his weapons.   
  
"A newbie huh? Well let me be the first to tell you that walking so slowly and quietly behind someone is very suspect in The World. Other's would have just killed you on the spot, lucky for you I have more restraint."  
  
"Yea, lucky me. This game is much more complicated than I thought."  
  
"Heh, you seem alright." The Twin Blade took on a more different, seemingly friendly attitude now. "So what name do you go by in this game?"   
  
"I like to call myself Fanchon. I would like you to call me Fanchon as well." The Blademaster identified as Fanchon then gave a lighthearted smile. "So what is your name?"  
  
"Me? Well, that's none of your damn business now isn't it?" The Twin Blade then returned the smile to Fanchon. "But since you were nice enough to give me your name, I'm known as Orion." After he finished his sentence, Orion then took a close look at Fanchon, noticing something strange.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" Fanchon had noticed Orion staring at him, and was slightly perplexed.   
  
"What's with your eyes?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"They're closed?"  
  
"I know...."  
  
"They've been closed the whole time I've been talking to you."  
  
"I would assume they'd be."  
  
"So why the hell are they always closed?"  
  
"Does it matter?"  
  
After the slight interrogation by Orion, he turned away from Fanchon, once again facing the statue front and center of the cathedral. The small glimmers of light entered the building, was the only sign of grace that existed inside the stone walls. For a place of prayer and worship, the cathedral had seemed forsaken and mundane, a place where no god would want to hear prayers from. The designers of this area did a fine job in detail. Orion then turned his head to once again address Fanchon.  
  
"Someone with closed eyes is very hard to read. You can't tell who they are, what they are feeling, and most importantly, you can't tell if you can trust them or not. You lack definition I find it very hard to turn my back on someone like you. I don't know why you would design your character like that." Orion's somewhat philosophical commentary on Fanchon's character was slightly insulting, but Fanchon had appreciated the honesty he heard from him, and it made him like Orion even more.  
  
"Oh, well that's not a very nice thing to say." Fanchon somewhat understood however, to face someone with their eyes closed held no guarantees. "Well then... enough about me eh? What are you doing around here by yourself.?"  
  
"That my friend, is truly none of your damn business." The response was very abrupt and cold, purposely staving off any hopes of a follow up question. "And on that note, my business is finished here." As Orion made his way to the giant two door entrance and exit, he said one final thing to Fanchon. "If you're planning on continuing to play this game, you should choose a field with monsters in it. You can't get anywhere without gaining some experience." That was the last thing Fanchon heard before Orion left.  
  
"Yea, thanks," Fanchon said quietly to the already departed Orion. The World was a very unique place to Fanchon, one with many questions, and many people. Talking to Orion gave him great joy, and a feeling of great excitement burned inside him. He had a feeling he would enjoy this game, and it was hopeful his needs would be fulfilled as well.   
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Kinda long, but it was worth it for me. Very slick of Fanchon to warp to Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground of all places. This story gets more and more interesting with every word I add to it, and I can't wait to get to start the next chapter. Thanks to those who left feedback and their support I am highly appreciative of it. Till then. 


	4. Chapter 3 Riding the Wings of Dream

The highlight of my day....  
  
Me: Hey Jesus.  
  
Jesus: Yes, my son.  
  
Me: We're cool right?  
  
Jesus: Are you Christian?  
  
Me: Well, no. I'm actually Jewish, but I haven't even been doing much of that lately.  
  
Jesus: It's all good my son. We're still tight as hell.  
  
Me: Nice....  
  
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Chapter 3 – Riding the Wings of Dream  
  
The dungeon radiated with one single golden orb, the monsters that ranged in strength were so sporadic where Fanchon was. Some of them he could do away with in a matter of seconds, others battles would leave him barely alive. He could go back, but this was the final room of the final floor. The flesh-made walls and floor, squishing with his every step taunted him, teasing him, telling him he should go back, to run away. Maybe he was hearing voices, that didn't seem normal, nonetheless he wanted more than ever to quiet those that would doubt him.  
  
Fanchon took his blade in hand, gripping it tight, and took one step forward. None of this was real, yet his nerves were getting to him, preventing him from moving any further. Annoyed by his hesitation, he took another step forward and put his blade in position to attack. The golden orb dissipated, and then the final figure standing in his way took form. Fanchon was slightly confused, what stood before him, was a motionless figure. A giant red staff, monolithic in its form, he didn't understand what it was there for. Then in an instant, before he could move at all, he lost sight of everything, standing in a pitch-black room. Nothing ahead of him too see, Fanchon heard something unfamiliar. The tone kept ringing in his ears. A tuning fork? He wanted to leave, telling the game to logout. Nothing happened. Fanchon began to panic, screaming a word to gain his freedom, "Logout!" Nothing happened, and all he could see was darkness, frantically turning his head for the grace of light, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.  
  
***  
  
"Rio, I told you not to sleep in my class anymore!" He looked up to see his teacher, slightly vexed, with a yardstick in her hand. Rio finally regained himself from what seemed like a never-ending dream. In that instant, he then realized he was asleep in math class again, only this time he was really asleep. He felt the sharp pain in the back of his neck, looking at the teacher's yardstick, he was able to put two and two together.  
  
"What the hell? Isn't that abuse?" The teacher just ignored him, and walked back to the front of the room. Rio didn't even care about being hit in the back of the neck with the yardstick, he was however very upset for being so disrespectfully ignored. He could feel the eyes around him again, he heard the muffled laughter of the classmates around him. The rage was burning inside him. He had no desire to put up with anymore of the class. He stood up calmly, took his bag, and headed out of the classroom. He could ear the teacher screaming for him to come back, but the cries fell on apathetic ears, as he just wandered the halls for sake of indifference.  
  
Numbers were a burden, no way around it. It's already been established ever since the beginning of time. There was nothing Rio hated more than Math, something that bored him to tears. Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry, he couldn't differentiate one from any other, they were all just numbers, shapes and statistics to him. They held no value, no meaning no significance, numbers couldn't be studied, only counted.  
  
Rio had no destination in mind, wandering the hallways of the high school, he saw other students, ones that would wander, make a racket with absolute impunity for one reason or the other. They were liked, or they contributed to the school to the point that who cares about anyone else trying to learn, let them do what they want. While this was not the true sentiment of his school, it existed, despite efforts of faculty members trying to teach discipline to those who should've learned it when they were 10 years old. He stuck his hand in his pocket, grasping a penny, and picked his target, the back of one of their heads. No one was looking so he could get away with it. In an instant he whipped his hand horizontally, and at the same time cut the next corner of a hallway to escape suspicion. He heard the student whelp in pain, and with that a smile came across his face, "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit." One of his favorite quotes, he felt he did society a favor.  
  
As Rio continued to circle in a continuous trance, he thought about the images that ran through his mind as he slipped into unconsciousness. Like any other dream, it is nearly impossible to recollect every moment. Fragmented memories were cluttered and disconnected, each detail juxtaposed upon the other. All he could gather were slight images, and sounds. He remembered that his mind was wandering in The World, the game he had been recently using. Then he remembered the ping, the continuous low tone, sounding like a tuning fork. The note vibrated deep within his ear up until this point, he didn't understand why. His aimless wandering finally found its way to a wall. Actually, it was more of a door, as Rio went head first into the open classroom door, with a loud thud following in his tracks.   
  
Lucky for Rio, he had interrupted what was an empty classroom, and with his currently derailed train of thought, he decided to make his way to his locker, seeing that only ten minutes remained in the day. Rustling through the books, he scanned over the classes of which had assignments due for the day, and the ones that he would actually end up doing. Careful not to make his load to great to bear, he left behind the assignments that he could do during school.   
  
"A little early aren't we?" An up close and personal voice came bursting from behind Rio, as it startled him, forcing him to jerk his neck around, only to see it was one of his teachers.   
  
"Wow Mr. Damon, you scared the hell out of me." Rio was ok with Mr. Damon, though he didn't care much for Economics, but he enjoyed the class for the teacher himself. To be perfectly honest however, he didn't enjoy all the surprises from behind he'd be facing.   
  
"What are you doing in the hallway at this time might I ask again?"   
  
"Class ended early." Rio was quick to retort.  
  
"No it didn't."  
  
"Sure it did."   
  
"Why don't we go"- before Mr. Damon could finish his statement, the final bell had rang, and school was indeed done for the day.   
  
"See? I'm always right." With a grin, Rio went on his way, back to his house, the ambiguous visions that ran through his head did not deter him from The World, it had interested him further. Maybe it meant nothing, it was just perhaps a dream, like any other, in any event, he wanted to keep playing, and most importantly, he wanted to meet more people in The World.   
  
The daylight was dwindling, the clouds interfered with the sun, as shades of grey covered the school grounds. The colors of existence shrouded the exiting students as they headed to their respective homes. Rio walked along the sidewalk, eyes fixated on the path paved by the clouds. He kept his eyes on the earth too, just in case of oncoming traffic.   
  
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Whew I felt a bit overwhelmed with college, I had actually had most of this chapter done a few days ago, but just finished it now. It seems I'm not spending too much time in The World, but I'll be sure to take care of that. It's good to see our protagonist in every possible situation he can find himself in before forcing on any other main characters. I hope the people reading this will enjoy the new chapter, and you can count on more on the way. Until then.... 


	5. Chapter 4 Troublesome Eyes, and Precious...

I Win Again  
  
Me: *dials telephone*  
  
Operator: Comedy Police, what is your emergency?  
  
Me: Hello, I'd like to report unfunny comics  
  
Operator: Alright then, and what's the name of the publisher?  
  
Me: John Doe.   
  
Operator: I thought we put them out of business! All units respond to a lack of comedy in New Brunswick, NJ!! And one unit to Verona, NJ  
  
Me: What the hell?   
  
Operator: When you put up inside jokes, some people are supposed to get it.   
  
Me: Son of a bitch…  
  
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Chapter 4- Troublesome Eyes, and Precious Cargo  
  
The day continued on in its constant routine, it was hard to tell each day from the last, Rio remembered doing the same things leading up to going to school, as well as what took place after school. He bought another notebook, as he filled the previous ones. The words rested there, stationary, without reason or without purpose. He felt pity to the paragraphs he created, they carried no personality, no soul. It was still missing, and while Rio enjoyed playing The World, there remained the emptiness that existed before he even decided to purchase this virtual world.   
  
Rio closed his eyes, he didn't have the desire to stay awake at the moment. His mind was riddled with so many situations, that of the regular teenage high-school adolescent. But for some reason, the one thing that continued to occupy his dreams was The World. While he was known to sleep in class, it was merely dozing off for a moment here, and a moment there. Yesterday was very strange, Rio had never flat out fell asleep before, to the point where he was completely dead to the world. It has been something he's been doing more often, and it seemed to start ever since he began playing in The World. In his dreams, he felt as if he were in the game, while the images and sounds stayed vague, they've began to clarify themselves. Things were happening, things bigger than he could possibly comprehend. The World might be too dangerous to call just a game…..   
  
Rio opened his eyes suddenly, and he grinned to himself, almost to the point of a quiet chuckle. The World was a game. The only thing dangerous about it was the possible amount of hours it could suck up in someone's life. He was probably playing too much, the game would naturally linger in his mind. But alas, it was another school day, and as the clock began to make its decent into the later hours, Rio could feel the warm radiation of the son give way to makeshift lanterns in the sky. Despite his concerns, he felt no reason to change things now, and with that thought he turned to the desk where his computer rested, the helmet and game pad sitting on the desk loyally guarding the processor.   
  
***  
  
Orion's Belt, that was the only way Fanchon could think of describing the glimmering vibrant city of Carmina Gadelica. As Orion's Belt was the three brightest stars in outer space, this city shined proudly through the darkness, as it radiated both light, and the life of the characters, fluttering with activity. For every vendor he saw in this area, he saw about 10 more people, whether they were buying, window shopping, or just enjoying the scenery. As Fanchon grew in The World, he wasn't one to frequent the shops, maybe a stop to the storage area, but it felt as if these stores were walking in to him. He felt it suitable just to leave the business to itself.   
  
Fanchon found a nice little quiet spot to stay in momentarily, away from all the ruckus that the markets brought with them. He seemed to just want to sit by, and waste away the time, watching as character after character walked by him. His eyes segmented the lights in the scenery, staring at them for so long gave way to shapes that seemed to form themselves. The options of places he could go were endless. The hundreds of fields that lay at his disposal, along with the many treasures that would arise in its wake. There was also The World's BBS system, where people contribute experiences, rumors, as well as conversation. He never bothered to look at the BBS at all, being that it wasn't anything he was truly interested in.   
  
The countless hours that Fanchon could just sit in one spot could surpass the sturdiest of statues. He finally came to the conclusion that he was going to do something right now. Only he hadn't decided what to do yet, so he spend more time wading in uncertainty. His disposition left with a feeling of redundancy, he could only wonder why…   
  
"Hey!" Fanchon was shaken from his train of thought as female Wavemaster decided to start a conversation.   
  
"Hello… can I help you?" Fanchon tried his best to be polite. He was uncertain as to why the Wavemaster wanted to talk to him in the first place.  
  
"Don't you know that it's rude to stare at people?" Of all the things to be said or asked, he didn't really expect such a random question. He brought his eyes to her face, and just stared at her for a second. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond.  
  
"Well, no I didn't really know that. Thanks for telling me, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." At that note, it was time to move on from his now occupied spot. As he stood up to leave, he was knocked down by the Wavemasters staff, in a very vindictive swing towards his face.   
  
"What the hell?! Don't know you it's rude to swing giant staffs towards peoples heads?"   
  
"You tried to leave without even apologizing to me!"   
  
"What reason would I have to apologize?"   
  
"I told you! You were staring at me! For at least 5 minutes!" Fanchon did recall staring, but it was more towards nothingness than any actual person. He took a good look at the Wavemaster. Staring at the white clothing, and the hat that draped across most of her head, she short of resembled a nun. "And the way your creepy eyes were staring at me, it freaked me out!"  
  
"What do you mean, 'my creepy eyes'?"  
  
"Your eyes, the whole time you were looking at me, they didn't even open once! What's with that?"  
  
"Wait a minute. If you noticed that, then doesn't that mean you were staring at me too?" Fanchon took a slight pause, and then gave a slightly depressing sigh. "You know, you should apologize for calling me creepy."   
  
"That…. Don't change the subject!" She was quite enthusiastic, and very determined for Fanchon to show remorse. "You know what, even if you apologize now it won't even matter. There's only one way for me to forgive you."   
  
"And, what would that be?" Fanchon decided to play along.   
  
"You're going to be in a Party with me, and escort me to whatever field I want to go to for the rest of the day. It's only fitting that you work your way to forgiveness."   
  
"Am I? You know, I really don't like this idea."   
  
"Don't you have any manners?! You're going to let a defenseless weak Wavemaster travel all by herself? There's no chivalry in you whatsoever."   
  
"You should know that chivalry is dead, seeing how women killed it." No matter what Fanchon could do, this situation was forced upon himself. Sure he could just say no and log out, but she was making him feel guilty enough as it is, he didn't need this on his conscience. He'd never been in a party before, so maybe this outspoken, somewhat obnoxious Wavemaster could provide him some more fun in this game.   
  
"OK then, it seems that I don't have a choice in the matter."  
  
"No, you don't. Now party up with me and let's get moving."  
  
"Just one question?"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Well, how do you party up?"  
  
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Crunch time at school, so it took a while to get this chapter finished. There was actually supposed to be more, but I can save that for next time. Looks like there's gonna finally be some action in this boring little story. I sure hope Fanchon knows what he's getting himself into. Expect the next chapter next week, sort of like the last two. Until then, enjoy what is before you. 


	6. Chapter 5 Comes Around? Well it Goes Aro...

Well well well.  
This is strange indeed.  
I originally began this story at the end of 2003, that means that it'll be well over a year since I've updated. So what was that reason may you ask? Simple enough. I had originally finished chapter 5, in fact it was my biggest chapter, and a pretty decent one I thought. However that didn't stop my computer from going to the shitter, forcing me reformat the hard drive, which meant losing my story at the same time. While I was able to salvage the other chapters, my latest one I hadn't put up yet. Needless to say, I was discouraged in continuing.

But that's all in the past. I've decided to give it another go. I'm still rethinking the direction where this story will go, but I've got a good idea. Until then, if you want to humor me in reading this story, then I'm very grateful.

-

Chapter 5- Comes Around? Well it Goes Around

While Fanchon was reluctant at first to follow his new "friend," it did prove in the end somewhat productive for the moment. The field wasn't overwhelmingly overpowered to the point that he wasn't able to hold his own to the monsters, and he was able to gain some levels. All that aside however, he still had no idea what this female wavemaster's intentions were, or why it were so important that he come along with her. For the moment however they were a party reliant on each others skills, and as strange as it seemed, they found each other quite beneficial in battle even though they've never met before.

"So Rena-" Fanchon was cut off instantaneously.

"My name is Raina, get it right!"

Fanchon didn't understand why she needed to take such a vindictive tone with him. In fact he didn't know why he followed along with this in the first place. He didn't do anything wrong, but for some reason he found himself falling in line with the wavemaster's wishes. Perhaps it his self-concious resolution to avoid getting into further conflict with Raina as much as possible. He played it off in his mind simply that it wasn't an act of admission, moreso the patronization of this over the top character that seems to have nothing better to do than bother him. 

"Right. Anyways, I appreciate the opportunity to level up, but what exactly is the point of us coming out here?" His curious tone seemed displeasing to Raina. She didn't even turn around and face him to acknowledge the question.

"There's no reason for me to explain anything to you. All you need to know is that you're here to make up for acting so improper to me."

"Man, I don't understand why trouble always has to be one step in front of my face?" The wavemaster stopped at that question, and turned to his face. He hated it when he was right. What he hated more was when he made the situation worse. His carefree easygoing personality once again led to him saying the wrong thing, and then realizing it a good ten seconds after sayint it. He lacked the mental mechanism that allowed the brain to process the words that were about to be spoken before actually mouthing them unlike any normal person. Instead, he was a constantly open floodgate of idiotic verbal confrontation.

"...What is that supposed to mean? Do you find something wrong with me?" He didn't answer, anything he was going to say next would make things worse. It was best to just keep his mouth shut, advice he's always heard but never taken. For the first time he found it best to just cut his losses. Unfortunately this first time was one time too late. Even though he kep his mouth shut, her expression remained dead center in between his eyes. Her unrelenting gaze showed no signs of mercy. He knew that at this point, things could only get worse from here. No matter what she has to say, just let it go. If it were something really bad, you'll have the perfect reason to leave. With his mind strategizing and justifying every possible scenario that would emerge, he assured himself that everything would be ok if he just rode this oncoming storm.

"Don't stop now. You could say it when my back was turned." She had a bit of a smirk on her face when she said it. It were as if she called Fanchon out, knowing simultaneously he wouldn't have it in him to say anything back.

This time he found himself angry. All the calculations, the possibilities and solutions that he had conjurred in his mind were no longer the things being processed. Instead an unknown line had been crossed. One that he would not allow to go unanswered. He felt that he put up with enough, more or less forced to come along on this little quest, while at the same time putting up with her attitude. Despite all of these things in mind, he was willing to take it in stride. However this attack was not pointed to an online PC named Fanchon, it was directed right to Rio. One thing he would not allow anyone to do was to attack his character or integrity. He looked right into her eyes, with a moment's hesitation he let out his feelings in one short sentence,

"I feel like I"m staring down the barrel of a gun right now." The character of Fanchon was embodied by Rio, and his personality emerged in full force. He would not be talked down to someone he barely knew.

As soon as he responded, Raina's eyes widened to a demonic gaze. It looked like she had been pushed to the point where animosity ended, and destruction began. The second he said it, he wanted to unsay it. 'You're a damned idiot,' kept running through his head. He braced for impact. But for some reason, any consequence he was prepared to take for his statements didn't follow. Instead, Raina turned around and started walking away not saying a word to him.

Staring down her back Fanchon was extremely confused. He expected to get chewed out in the worst way, in fact he felt that he deserved it. But now he got nothing, and for some reason he felt extremely guilty. Her pace quickened, as if she were trying to get away from him. He followed to her speed, in hopes of her replying to his words, anything would be better than just silence. Now Fanchon felt terrible, he felt a chill running through his spine, the last thing he wanted to do was truly hurt her feelings. 

Fanchon was frantic for some sort of response, he was hoping anything he could say would provoke one. "Look, I'm sorry ok! Just don't make me put up with this nonsense."

Raina turned around once more, this time she had a smile on her face, "It's ok. And by the way... thanks for finally apologizing." Her mood was a complete one-eighty of what she was radiating before. Fanchon stopped in his tracks to try and process what just happened. When all the smoke cleared on the mental battlefield he found himself in, he realize just how badly he underestimated this girl's intelligence.

"You know, you're a truly ruthless human being." He was in complete shock at the tenacity of this wavemaster, and amazed at how badly she manipulated him.

"Oh now don't be so mad at how easily I got an apology out of you. But since you insist on knowhing, we're going to the dungeon, I hear there's something there that can really boost your statistics."

Fanchon didn't like it, but he knew when he was beat. Although defeated, he was also somewhat impressed at how well she manipulated him. He saw it as a lesson, and took it upon himself to never underestimate anyone again, especially in The World. The conflict and tension was removed, and all that was left to do was to see for himself what was so special about the dungeon he was destined to see. What was to be seen was unknown both to him and to Raina. She didn't say whether or not it were an item, a monster, or some mistake made by the programmers that players are now trying to exploit for their own benefit. 'Always count on someone trying to capitalize on your mistakes,' Fanchon thought to himself. He had no true interest in doing so, but now that he was here, he might as well see it through.

As they continued to walk the golden orbs that foretold of monsters or rewards grew few and less frequent. Little by little Fanchon was able to make out the shape of a giant head, with discolord smoke seemingly discharging from its ears. The monster was indescribable, and repulsive to the sight. There was no doubt that was the dungeon's entrance. The game's developers were a cut above the rest in bringing reality to the unexplainable.  
-

Wanting to continue this story after so long, this chapter is a big weight off my chest. There's not much action going on so far, but that isn't the type of story im trying to make, simply because I'm not very good at it. That won't stop me however, whoever hast the time to read and review, I appreciate it. 


End file.
